


Evil Mastermind At Work

by AJtheZombieEwok



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alcohol, Ambreigns pre-slash, Ambrollins friendship, Character Death In Dream, Graphic Dream Violence, Insecurity, Insomnia, M/M, Nightmares, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-04-14
Packaged: 2018-05-29 23:11:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6397822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJtheZombieEwok/pseuds/AJtheZombieEwok
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prequel to Climb Your Walls. Because I thought Seth deserved more than just a text message. And I wasn't done being angsty yet.</p><p>Following an unpleasant breakup with Randy, Seth has to deal with both Roman and Dean's issues because he's the only emotionally articulate one out of the three of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Evil Mastermind At Work

Dean sat on the hotel bed in a drunken haze in his boxers. On the TV screen Dane Cook was getting slapped across the face by the girl of his dreams for ruining her sister's wedding. Dean was so wrapped up in the movie that Seth walking in didn't register until the TV turned off. "Hey!" He looked up at Seth who had the remote in his hand and a weary expression on his face.

"You gotta stop watching that shit," he said, setting down his bags. Dean had been on a rom-com binge lately. Every time Seth roomed with them in the last week and woke up in the middle of the night there was some couple making amends and confessing their love for one another on the screen. He was starting to wonder and worry if Dean was actually sleeping. He presumed that was what the whiskey was for this time.

"I don't bash you and your life choices," Dean taunted, pointing a finger in Seth's general direction with the bottle in hand. There was a definite slur to his voice aside from his normal drawl. "And besides, it's a Dane Cook movie."

"Yes because that's what makes it a quality film," Seth retorted. He reached over and grabbed the whiskey bottle out of Dean's hand. There was still some left in it but not much. One good chug and it'd be gone. "Is this your first one?"

Dean's hand fell to the mattress with a thump. "Yeah. I have another bottle. Some kind of fruity shit."

"I think you've had enough," Seth scolded. He was looking around for the cap but couldn't find it.

"Why are you here anyway?" Dean asked, sounding irritated. "Thought you'd be with your beloved Randy all night. Or did you take time out of your sex marathon just to ruin my movie?"

 _Fuck the cap_ , Seth thought and drained the rest of the bottle, feeling the burn go down his throat. Dean's eyes widened and his head cocked to the side. Seth swallowed and said "I broke up with him."

"Oh." Dean was a bit stunned. "I'm sorry."

Seth shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed, setting the empty bottle down on the floor so he could take his shoes off. "We wanted different things. He just wanted to fuck. I wanted something after that. No use in pretending I was gonna get that from him." Seth breathed out heavily as he sat up, his head buzzing from the booze already. Dean's hand squeezed and rubbed his shoulder. "So I decided to crash your pity party. Roman gave me the key."

"Roman? Is he-"

"He's with his cousins and Naomi. Won't be back until much later." Dean nodded and looked down at the bed. "Take it you've got him on the brain?" Dean nodded again. "You wanna talk about it?"

Dean laid down and turned his back to Seth. "Not really," he mumbled. It was a lie but he didn't think Seth wanted to hear it seeing as how he had just ended the relationship, or fuck-buddy-ship, that he had been in for the better part of a year. Talking about his non-existent relationship problems seemed selfish.

Seth rolled his eyes and laid down with Dean, pressing his chest up against his friend's bare back and wrapped his arm around him. "Talk to me."

Dean fidgeted with Seth's fingers while he organized his thoughts. This was exactly what he didn't want to think about when he had started drinking. But as always, Roman was what his mind came back to. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

"You mean other than talking to him? Like I've told you a million times?"

"He's got a wife and kid, Seth. He doesn't need me to mess up his life." The despair in his voice didn't go unnoticed. "Don't think he's interested in guys anyway let alone me. There's no way."

"What do you mean 'mess up his life'?" Seth asked. He was met with silence. "You think you're not good enough for him, don't you?"

Dean shifted uncomfortably. He hated that it was so easy for Seth to figure him out. "That's part of it."

"What's the other part?"

Dean shook his head. "Things are fine the way they are. I don't wanna go and make everything worse."

Seth rolled his eyes again. Not that Dean could see it but he did it anyway. "If this is what fine looks like for you I don't want to see what complete and utter shit show looks like." Dean elbowed him in the ribs but it lacked any real force. "How are you physically? Do you feel like you're gonna throw up?"

"No, 'm okay," he yawned. "Just tired now."

Seth stroked the side of Dean's face with the back of his hand. "You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

"Will you stay?" Dean asked, ignoring the question. It was more rhetorical anyway.

Seth repositioned his head on the pillow. He had never been one to shy away from physical contact with his former teammates. A bit of closeness would be good for the mutual heartache. "Sure. I'll stay."

* * *

  
Around 2 or 3 in the morning there was a loud knock on the door that woke Seth up. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Dean was out cold next to him. "First time in a week," he mumbled to himself. The banging continued. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." Seth got up and shuffled to the door. It was Roman of course. "'Bout time you dragged yourself in."

Roman was leaning against the door frame. He swayed a little as he stood. "Sorry, Mom. Didn't realize there was a curfew." With a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes, Seth walked off to the bathroom. Roman heard the sink running as he kicked off his shoes and tugged off his jeans. His eyes landed on Dean on the bed and his heart jumped a little. "Is he asleep?" Roman asked quietly.

Seth came out of the bathroom with a glass of water and the garbage can and put them next to Dean's side of the bed. "Completely knocked out. And drunk." Seth walked over to the other bed that was still neatly made and flopped down on his stomach. He stretched out as much as he could, making sure that there wasn't enough room for Roman. "Goodnight."

"Are you- Are you serious?" Roman stuttered out.

Seth turned his head to look at Roman standing there awkwardly. He was getting tired of this. "Either you sleep in that bed, Reigns, or you sleep on the floor or in the bathtub. I don't care but if you want a bed you sleep next to Dean." Roman started to say something but was interrupted before half a sound came out of his mouth. "Do. Not. Argue with me."

Roman exhaled through his nose and sat down on the vacant side of Dean's bed. His foot kicked the empty bottle that Seth had left on the floor. He picked it up to examine it. "Did he drink this whole thing by himself?"

"I helped a little," Seth grumbled. "Very little."

"Jesus Christ."

"Yup. That's your boyfriend." Seth turned over to face the wall. Apparently the conversation was over.

A muscle in Roman's jaw twitched at Seth's word choice. He turned to look at the man asleep in the bed he had been assigned to. Dean shivered a little. It was either because he subconsciously felt Roman's gaze on him or because he wasn't underneath the blanket. Roman got up and set the bottle down on the table in between the beds. Very carefully he pulled the blanket out from underneath Dean's legs. Dean barely moved at all. _Man, he really is out cold_ , Roman thought. He tucked the blanket around Dean and moved a strand of blond hair back from his face. More than anything Roman wanted to curl up behind him, hold him, and keep him safe but he didn't think that would go over too well. He settled for squeezing Dean's shoulder before turning off the light and settling in himself.

* * *

  
Dean awoke in a cold sweat and unable to breathe. He jolted up trying to get away from whatever was chasing him in his dream. His heart thudded in his chest making his whole body feel like one giant pulse. His eyes frantically looked around, taking in the sight of the darkened hotel room. _He's not here._ He pulled his knees up and rested his elbows on them, fingers twining into his own hair and pulling as he sucked in breath after breath. _Just a dream. Just a dream. You're okay._ He didn't want to remember but the images came flooding back anyway. He had been running down a street and turned into an alleyway blocked off at the other end by a chain link fence. Roman was on the other side, looking both scared and confused. Dean had shouted for him to run, to get out of there, to save himself but Roman started scaling the fence to get to him instead. Something hit Dean on the back hard, knocking him down to the pavement. He turned over and saw Roman squaring off with the man that had hit him. The face of that man terrified him. It was him. His face. Dean Ambrose. Or maybe it was supposed to be the past version of himself: Jon Moxley. He was soaked in blood, most of it probably belonging to other people, and had the most sickening smile Dean had ever seen. And he was ready to tear both him and Roman apart. Dean screamed again for Roman to leave, to just get out of there. Why wasn't he listening? Roman punched the bloodied man square in the jaw. Anyone else would've been knocked unconscious but this guy... He laughed in Roman's face. The sound reverberated in Dean's ears. The pipe in the man's hand crashed across Roman's cheek and his limp body fell across Dean, pinning him to the ground with his head turned to face him. His eyes were open wider than Dean had ever seen them and his mouth had gone slack, blood pooling on the ground in front of it. He wasn't moving. Their attacker grabbed Dean by his hair, forcing him to look at his own blood stained face with another demonic laugh. "Just remember, Jon," the man growled in his own voice "everything that happens is your fault." The man swung his arm back and struck down with force, right on top of Dean's head. The strike had been what woke him. He let a shuddering breath in and out and wiped his eyes. _It was just a dream._

"You okay?" A rumbling voice from the person next to him broke him free of his thoughts and made him jump. But it wasn't Seth's voice. Seth's voice didn't rumble like that. It was Roman's.

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Roman looked beautiful lying there, hair splayed against the pillow and his eyes only half open. It was the farthest thing away from the terrifying picture his mind had conjured up. Dean breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Where's Seth?"

Roman grunted a little as he sat up. "Wanted his own bed," he said, motioning to the other side of the room. "You gonna be sick?"

As Roman's warm hand touched Dean's back, the painful images started to fade away. Although his doubt followed him every second, kept him biting his tongue when he just wanted to scream, Roman had a way of easing all the tension in him just by touching him. It was like some kind of magic. Dean breathed out slowly. "Just a nightmare."

Roman stroked his hand up and down Dean's spine. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

 _Yeah, I saw myself murdering us_ , Dean thought but shook his head. "No. I just want it to go away."

"Pretty bad, huh?"

"That's an understatement."

Roman laid back on the bed, pulling Dean with him and tugging the blanket up. "Let's go back to sleep. Heard you're gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow."

Dean's head spun a bit as he fell back against the pillow. All the whiskey that was still in his system made his vision swim. "How'd I get under the blanket anyway?" He was pretty sure he had passed out on top of it.

"Me," Roman stretched his arm out across Dean's chest, resting it there. "You were shivering."

"Thanks." Dean smiled a little. Roman's small acts of caring for him always got to him more than he'd admit.

"Mhmm," Roman hummed and closed his eyes. He rubbed his hand up and down Dean's arm. "Just try to relax and get some sleep, okay? I'm right here if you need me."

"Thanks Ro," Dean whispered. He couldn't help but stare at him a little bit longer, in both amazement and to make sure there wasn't a speck of blood anywhere on him. He reached out and lightly brushed the spot on Roman's face where he had seen his nightmare self hit him, feeling his perfect skin and the unbroken bone beneath. _Why would I do that?_ Dean thought to himself. His hand started to shake a bit. In the dim light coming from the window, Dean thought he saw Roman smile into his touch before pulling him in closer, shoulder into chest. Dean's hand landed on the smooth cotton covering Roman's collar bone and his fingers instinctively curled themselves into the shirt. The weight of Roman's arm across him and the warmth of his body was so comforting Dean felt everything in him physically relax while all thoughts of evil twins and lead pipes vanished from his mind. _He's alright_ , Dean reassured himself. _You're alright_ _. Just enjoy this._

* * *

  
The next morning, Seth was the first to wake up. There was a dull ache in his head that was getting harder to ignore. He wasn't sure if it was because he finished Dean's bottle of whiskey or the reason why he had finished it but he was in no mood to deal with unnecessary physical pain. Gingerly, he got up and went over to his bag to dig out a bottle of Ibuprofen. He walked over to the glass he set out for Dean, knowing it would still be there. After he had downed half the glass and a couple pills, his eyes focused on the two men in the bed. They were lying forehead to forehead, Roman on his stomach with his arm wrapped securely around Dean's shoulders. "Well, that's progress," Seth said aloud to himself. His voice made Roman stir a little bit. _Dammit. Spoiled the moment._ "Morning, sunshine."

Roman flipped his hair off his face and turned over on his side. "Morning." He sat up and stared down at the still sleeping Dean before looking back up at Seth, eyes all glimmering as a smirk spread across his face. The big man returned the smile and laughed a little. He knew what Seth was thinking. It was probably something along the lines of 'damn, I'm good.' "It was a good plan," Roman admitted before his friend had the chance to start gloating.

The younger man rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Of course it was. I thought of it." _On the fly. At 2 a.m._ Their attention turned to Dean who moved the tiniest bit. Seth started nudging his shoulder none too lightly. "Hey. Hey. Wake up."

Dean winced and swatted Seth's hand away. "Nudge me again and I'll rip your arm off," he growled, voice gravelly from sleep.

"Jeez, touchy."

Roman softly shook Dean's other shoulder. "You feeling okay?" His voice was so mellow like it always was when he talked to Dean like this. Seth didn't think Roman ever realized he did it. It seemed like something that just came naturally to him.

Dean groaned and rubbed his eyes. His head was pounding. "The light hurts."

"Your eyes are closed, Dean," Roman informed him.

"I know."

"We'll get you some food, okay?" Roman asked, shaking his shoulder again. Dean nodded, covering his eyes with his hands.

"How come he can nudge you but I do it and I get threatened with bodily harm?" Seth broke in, pretending to be offended.

"Because he's nicer about it than you," Dean muttered. "You're an asshole."

Seth shook the pill bottle in Dean's ear and slammed it back down on the table, making him flinch at the noise and proving his point. "Pain pills. Take two. You have a garbage can next to you if you can't make it to the bathroom." Dean grunted his reply. Words were something that clearly wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Seth went over to his bag in the corner to get a change of clothes. In his attempt to find out what was bothering Dean and push him and Roman closer together he had ended up falling asleep in what he was wearing the day before. He snarled a little when he realized that his shirt still smelled like Randy's cologne. The first chance he got he was going to take everything he had to a laundromat to rid himself of the stench. _Probably have to scrounge up a whole shitload of quarters for that_ , he thought. While trying to find something else to put on the room went dark. Roman was pulling the curtains closed as tight as possible, making sure that there wasn't a single ray of light hitting the bed. When he turned around Seth smiled broadly at him.

Roman bit his lip and looked at the floor, a bit of color coming to his cheeks. "Shut up, Rollins."

* * *

  
There wasn't much to this hotel's breakfast selection so they opted for the small café place across the street. Roman had insisted on paying for Dean's food: some kind of sandwich thing they thought he'd like and the least frilly coffee item they had on the menu. And of course, Dean was all Roman wanted to talk about.

"He was already drunk when I got up there," Seth said. "If I'd gotten there any later he would've started on his second bottle."

"I don't understand why he insisted on being alone. If he wanted to drink he could've just come with us. Probably would've been more fun than whatever he was doing."

 _Because he couldn't get you out of his head, ya dipshit_ , Seth thought as he shoveled a bit of food into his mouth. "I don't think he's been sleeping well. It might've been too much for him."

"Really?" Roman asked surprised.

"You wouldn't know 'cause you sleep like a rock until it's time to get up," Seth explained. To him it sounded like Roman felt bad for not noticing but it wasn't his fault. For someone that seemed like an open book Dean was remarkably secretive whenever something was bothering him. Roman always knew _when_ something was wrong. He just didn't always know _what_ was wrong. That was Seth's job. "I usually wake up every couple of hours and the past few nights when I've stayed with you guys he's been wide awake every time I am."

Roman rubbed his thumb across the lip of his coffee cup. "He had a nightmare last night."

Seth paused in taking another bite. "About what?"

Roman shook his head, long hair bouncing back and forth. "He wouldn't tell me. Whatever it was, it was bad." He stared down at the plastic lid like it was a crystal ball and would give him answers to all his Dean problems.

Seth finished his last bite. "Take it that's how you ended up holding him?" Roman nodded. "Felt good didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did." Roman gripped his cup a little tighter, the memory of Dean's skin still in his fingers. "Wish it was under different circumstances but... I don't think we've ever shared a bed before."

Seth raised his eyebrows in surprise. "No, I don't think you have. Usually it's me and him or me and you. Huh. Well, you're welcome then." Roman smiled a little then his face turned sad. Seth caught the change immediately. "What is it?"

"What if... I were to talk to him like you've said a thousand times."

"It's more like millions upon millions but go on."

"What would I say to him?"

"How about 'Hey, my wife says it's okay if we fuck. You wanna?'"

Roman rolled his eyes. "Seth, come on. Be serious."

"I am serious! I really think you should just go for it and see what happens."

Roman sighed through his nose. "But there's more to it than that. It's a lot more complicated."

"Uuuuugh, everything's always complicated with you," Seth griped. He moved his empty plate to the side and banged his head on the table a few times making it rattle. He really hated that both of them had sworn him to secrecy. Things would be a whole lot easier if he could just tell them how they felt about each other. But after keeping their secrets for this long, Seth felt like just blurting it out would complicate things even more. This was about them and as much as he was fed up with everything relationship related at the moment, he couldn't interfere just so he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. All he could do was continue to be their confidante and hope for the best. He looked up and took a deep breath in. "Okay, here's what I know. You say you're fine, he's fine, everything's fine and it's all crap. You're miserable. Don't even try to deny it," he warned when Roman opened his mouth to protest. "We wouldn't be talking about this right now if you weren't. I also know that he's a lot better off with you than without you. You know you're different around him."

"I am?"

Seth nodded. "You go soft. I don't mean that in a bad way," he clarified when Roman scrunched up his nose in an insulted expression. "I mean you're all caring and shit. And it's not just the things you do like closing the curtains and putting him under the blanket. The way you talk to him changes. It's a good thing. I don't think he's had enough of that in his life." The bell rang as the door behind Roman opened and a small crowd of their coworkers walked in, including the one person Seth was hoping they wouldn't run into. His stomach did a sickening flip and he ducked his head a little bit, hoping Roman's larger frame would hide him from view. "I gotta bail," he whispered.

Roman looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow, spotting Orton's shaved head, then turned back to his friend. Seth looked like he was going to throw up. "Want me to run interference?"

"No, it's fine." Seth frowned a little when he realized he was taking a page out of Dean and Roman's book by saying that. He never noticed how much he despised the word 'fine' before. "I'm already over him. Just gonna take some time, you know? It's gonna be awkward for a while." He wasn't completely over it but he knew it was over between them. He was never going to get what he wanted from Randy and he was just hurting himself by staying. The more he said he was okay, the more he believed it.

"You never told me how it went," Roman recalled.

Ending things with Randy wasn't something that Seth had just decided to do on a whim. He had been mulling it over for a while. That night it had come to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. He had been watching Jimmy and Naomi dancing together in the bar and that was when he decided to just get it over with. He wanted a real relationship. He wanted someone he could go out and have fun with that wasn't emotionally vacant the way Randy was. Seth had tried multiple times to take them to that level but Randy showed absolutely no interest. In fact, Seth would have said he showed aversion to anything that wasn't strictly sex-related. After tearing his eyes away from the dance floor, Seth went and found Roman to get their room key and told him what he was planning on doing. Roman was supportive of course and asked if he wanted back-up but Seth told him no. It was something he needed to do for himself. He found Randy leaning against the bar, ogling the ass of some waitress. That was it. Seth was mad before but now he was furious. He didn't care if the whole damn building heard him. Seth shouted at him that either he start acting like Seth was actually important to him or that it was over. He was tired of just being the go-to every time Randy was all worked up after a match. He was tired of just being used by him. All Randy responded with was an 'okay, then' and turned back around. Seth stormed off up to the room they were going to share, got his bags, and left the key on the desk. He contemplated leaving a note with it but he decided against it. If Randy wanted any further explanation he'd have to come asking for it himself.

"As well as it could have, I guess. I said what I needed to say. He didn't say much."

"Does he ever?"

"Not really," Seth sighed in a resigned manner. "I'm gonna go bring Dean his food. I'll see if I can find out what his nightmare was about." Roman nodded as Seth stood up and grabbed Dean's to-go bag. "If you're gonna talk to him, Roman, you gotta find a way to do it soon. You can't keep doing this to yourself." The big man stared down at his cup without saying anything. As Seth turned to go he heard a pair of footsteps following him. He knew who it was but he waited until they were on the other side of the door to say anything. "I don't have time for this right now, Randy. I have a very hungover friend to see to." He turned around and that infuriating, unreadable expression stared at him. "I meant what I said last night."

"No, you didn't." His voice sounded like he was suppressing anger.

 _Of course he picks now to show emotion._ "Yes, I did." Seth was firm. He refused to let himself back down from his conviction. "If all you want is somewhere to stick your dick then fine. Stick it somewhere else. I'm over it." With that Seth defiantly crossed the street. He felt Orton's eyes on him but he didn't care. It felt damn good to walk away.

* * *

  
When Seth opened the door to the hotel room there was a light on inside. Dean was curled up on top of the blankets in a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that looked like the one Roman had been wearing last night. _Well at least he's moved_ , Seth thought. As he sat on the bed he saw that Dean's hair was wet and sticking to his forehead. _And showered even._ "You alive?"

"Whatever you've got smells good." Dean opened one eye just a crack with his face still pressed against the pillow. His voice sounded rough and tired.

"Liking the smell of food instead of vomiting? You must be feeling better."

"That's 'cause I already did that," Dean stated matter-of-factly. He sat up slowly and took the bag from Seth's hand.

"Charming as always," Seth grimaced. He got up, taking the plastic lid off of Dean's coffee and went over to the microwave to heat it up. "That's what you get for drinking the whole bottle in one go."

"If you wanna start talking about my bad habits we'll be here for a while," Dean said around a mouthful of his sandwich. He wasn't in the mood to have Seth reprimanding him like a child. "At least I have less than I used to."

It was hard for Seth to argue with that. Dean had cleaned up a lot when he joined FCW. Binge drinking every once in a while paled in comparison to how self-destructive he was before. The microwave beeped and Seth brought his coffee to him. "You realize you're wearing Roman's shirt, right?"

Dean looked down and examined the cranberry colored shirt apparently a little more closely than he had before. "No wonder it smelled so good," he mumbled, cheeks flushing a little. "I just grabbed it off the floor."

"Uh huh, suuuuure," Seth teased. "Speaking of Roman, though, he said you had a nightmare last night."

Dean's expression changed instantly. The blood drained from his face and his blue eyes flashed with breath-stopping fear. It wasn't something Seth had ever seen before. To be honest he didn't know Dean's face could look like that. When it passed his eyes connected briefly with Seth's before staring down at the sandwich in his lap. He felt a twisting in his stomach. "Yeah," he choked. Seth scooted closer and put his hand on Dean's knee, waiting for Dean to be ready to tell him. "I... I saw myself murdering Roman. And then myself." He looked up at Seth whose face was remarkably placid. "There were two of me. There was me and there was the me that killed us. He was all covered in blood. Really he looked like Jon Moxley, I guess. He was chasing me and he hit me with a lead pipe on my back. Roman tried to save me but..." Dean squeezed his eyes shut like it would stop him from seeing Roman's bloodied face in his mind but it only made the picture more vivid so he opened them again to look at the face of the person sitting across from him. Seth's calm brown eyes urged him to continue. "The other me said that everything was my fault and then he killed me too. Cracked me right over the head. Could've sworn I felt it."

Seth was silent for a minute, making sure Dean was done, before saying "Your nightmares sound like a Bray Wyatt segment." Dean gave a short laugh at the association. "Have you been having nightmares all week?"

Dean shook his head and took a sip of the coffee in his hand, attempting to settle his stomach. Thinking of his own bloodied face laughing at him was making it turn and he really didn't want to throw up again. "I just couldn't sleep before. And when I can't sleep I start thinking and, well, you know what happens when I start thinking. But if this is what happens when I do sleep I think I'll take the insomnia." Seth squeezed his knee sympathetically. "What do you think it means?"

"Well first of all, I don't think it was you necessarily."

"He had my face, Seth. Who else would it be?"

"You're taking it too literally. Dreams aren't meant to be literal."

"I'm a literal kind of guy."

"I know that. You said he looked like you from years ago. That guy was vastly different from who you are now."

"Not so different." Dean sounded unconvinced.

"Different enough," Seth insisted. "That guy was a product of all the terrible shit that happened to you, all that stuff you won't tell us about. You've changed so much since then. You know what I think? I think he was your fear."

"My fear? Seriously dude? Come on." He said it like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

Seth ignored Dean's attitude. "Seriously. You're so afraid of screwing things up and getting hurt or hurting Roman that you're blaming yourself for it before things even get started. You worry waaaaay too much, man. You know that." Dean took another sip of his coffee. He knew that all too well. "You know... A lot of the things you worry about could go away if you would just talk to Roman."

Dean rolled his eyes at him. "Seth-"

"I know, I know." Seth through his hands up in exasperation as he got up from the bed. "Upsetting the balance, things are fine, blah, blah, blah." He forced himself into a calmer tone. It wasn't entirely Dean's fault that he was frustrated and Seth didn't want him to blame himself like he did about everything or retreat back into his thoughts. "I've gotta shower. You should finish eating." Dean nodded like he heard him but he still seemed to be thinking. Seth pulled him in for a hug. "You're gonna be okay, Deano. Just stop thinking so much about it." He felt Dean nod against him and grip him tight.

"By the way," Dean said into his shirt, "I'm proud of you for kicking Orton to the curb. You deserve better than him."

Seth smiled and rested his head on top of Dean's. "Thanks. I'm proud of me too."

* * *

  
It was about a month and a half later that Seth got hurt. He landed wrong and then his knee caved in. 'The Sunset Flip from Hell' he called it. Hundreds upon hundreds of times he'd done that exact move and nothing had gone wrong. Of course right when things were about to get exciting, his title defense against Roman coming up, one little mishap turned into something huge and took him completely out of commission. At the time with all the adrenaline pumping through him he was just glad he was able to finish the match but having Kane's full weight up on his shoulders was a bad idea. Now he was stuck in a hospital bed unable to move without help.

When you can't move it leaves a lot of time for thinking. Seth's mind wandered all over the place from thinking about what he would start working on when he could walk again to all the physical therapy he would have to go through to get there. He kept coming back to what Dean and Roman would do without him being there to confide in. Part of him felt guilty about it. He would have been with them at that very moment if he had just landed right. "Guess they'll have to figure it out without me then," he said to himself. That would either go great or not go at all. He was betting on the 'not at all' part of that thought. He sighed and leaned his head back against the pillow. There wasn't anything he could do about it now.

Or was there?

Seth grabbed his phone off the table. He scrolled through his contacts until he landed on Jimmy Uso's name. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jimmy. How's it going?"

"It's good, man. How's the knee?"

"Sucks. I'm going up a wall over here."

"I can imagine. Jey was antsy as hell when he hurt his shoulder."

"Yeah, I remember that. Listen I'm actually calling about Roman."

"Do you want me to get him?" Jimmy asked.

"No, it's about him and Dean."

"Ooooh right." Jimmy's voice lowered like he didn't want to risk being overheard. "He's been extra mopey the past couple days. He doesn't say anything though. Just gets that look. You know the one I'm talking about. The one with the puppy dog eyes."

"Yeah, I do." Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am not coming back after dealing with all this just to be stuck in the middle of them again. You and Jey only deal with one side of it. I have both on a daily basis. Every day for years. Literally."

"Fair enough," Jimmy said.

"We have to do something to push them together but in a way that makes them come to terms with it on their own."

"What you got in mind?"

"Do you have Galina's number by any chance?"


End file.
